NFL Player James Harrison Spends $350,000 a Year to Keep Fit and Healthy

American football player James Harrison is 39 and one of the oldest players to play at the highest level. He has been playing at an elite level for almost twenty years!

His secret?

He invests an enormous amount of time, effort and money in a team that helps him look after his main asset - his mind and body! This team includes chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists as well as personal trainers. In fact, one slightly unusual technique used to help his recovery is an ancient Chinese technique called cupping as shown below. When asked by National Geographic about whether this worked Mr Harrison said:

In between weightlifting sessions, we asked him his secret for playing such a violent game at such a high level for so long. “Ain’t no damn secret, man. HARD WORK, lots of hard work!” Well that, and a lot of attention to caring for his body. Harrison spends about $350,000 a year employing a team of specialists, including massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors, who help manage the punishment his body endures. One of them is Codi Hoos, a massage therapist who uses cupping, an ancient therapy practiced for centuries in China, to reduce muscle soreness. I mentioned to Harrison that scientists are skeptical about cupping some of the other treatments he uses. Harrison shrugged. “All I know is before I get treated, I HURT, and after, I feel better.” - Words by @petergwin

The moral of the story is that it is no coincidence that someone who invests so much into looking after himself year after year, is one of the longest-serving players in the NHL. It's because Mr Harrison sees himself as his biggest asset that he is willing to maintain such a team of specialists to help him stay healthy. While most of us aren't professional sports-people on such large salaries, the lesson still applies. We can ask ourselves how much do we invest in our own physical, mental, emotional health?

People who succeed in life know that they are their biggest asset and so they invest in themselves accordingly. Is it any wonder when we don't invest in ourselves to save money in the short term and then lose out in the long-term because we are worn out physically, mentally and emotionally?